GOP Debate - #VASen

The third and final debate for the GOP candidates for the Virginia senate seat was held last night.  The four candidates had their chance to make an impression on the voters of Northern Virginia.  For early Friday evening of Memorial Day weekend there was a pretty good turnout.  This was the smallest crowd of the four debates, but it was about 400 people.

The debate had a very simple format, 2 minute opening and closing statements with 90 seconds to answer questions.  Each candidate was asked the same questions.

The cast of characters were

George Allen, former senator and governor.

Jaime Radtke, former employee of George Allen and Tea Party activist

Bob Marshall, state delegate

E.W. Jackson, former marine and minister.

George Allen has been pretty much given the nomination by all media outlets.  Polling is being done between him and the dem candidate Tim Kaine.  So it is looked at as an uphill battle for the other three candidates.  Some have been surprised that Allen agreed to three debates.  But Virginia has a large geographic area to cover and it would be hard to find one centrally located area to give all the voters a chance to hear the candidates.  So the debates were divided up by regions of the commonwealth.

Allen's plan was do no harm.  Which he accomplished.  I don't think he did anything to help himself, but he certainly did nothing to hurt himself.  Allen also lives in this area of the state and has strong support here.  Most people I know are supporters* More on this later.

Jaime's plan was a full frontal attack on Allen.  Which she did from opening statement on.

Both E.W. and Bob spoke from the heart.  You could tell they were not using prepared remarks and canned answers.

Here are some of the notes that I jotted down while listening:

Opening Statements:

E.W.

Virginia has to take the bull by the horns.  Bowing to none.

Jaime

If we don't deal with spending nothing else matters.

Bob

Made many references to Jefferson and abortion.

George

Started by thanking the soldiers who died.  Talked about the legacy of freedom and America's comeback.  He was trying to be Reaganesque.

Now Jaime talked about not allowing congress to pick winners and losers.  Which I found very interesting indeed.  Jaime backed Jeff Frederick for the State Senate last year.  Jeff Frederick used(s) minority status to get set aside contracts from the federal government.  So that is just hypocrisy of the highest order.  You can read about that here.

One of the questions was meant to Perryesque and the candidates were asked which regulations they would try to do away with.

E.W. being a Bishop talked heavily on the regulations being put on the Churches forcing them to go against their consciences.  He also brought up the federal real estate tax that is included in Obamacare that will be collected by the IRS.  He got a good laugh when he talked about how 90 seconds was not enough time.

Jaime didn't really answer the question.  She talked about Dodd/Frank and closing down the depart of ed.  Which I agree with by the way, but it wasn't really the answer to the question at hand.

Bob pushed a flat tax and spent his time talking about car safety and flat tax.

George talked about Obamacare and CO2 regs.  Which goes beyond cap-and-trade because of the all the power the EPA has taken for themselves.

I would have to say one of the most interesting parts of the evening was when Bob was talking about a conversation he had with Senator Mark Warner at a college football game about Obamacare.  According to Bob, Senator Warner was not worried about the constitutionality of Obamacare, or "not his first concern".  Great.  We have a senator that doesn't care if laws are constitutional or not.

There were asked about what they would do about some reforms to the healthcare system they would like to see done if Obamacare is rendered unconstitutional.

I would have to say that George Allen did have the best answer on this.  He was stressing HSA's.  Which I am a huge fan of.  I had one for years and it worked very well.  HSA's were done in Indiana on the state level under Gov. Daniels and reduced costs for the state and the employees were very happy with them.  It is also the type of plan that Whole Foods offered to its employees.  They work.  The rest didn't seem to have great answers to this question, but did stress federalism.  Which I also am a big fan of.  Healthcare reform should be done at the state level, not at the federal one.

I have decided that I am supporting EW.  I made that decision long before last night.  But last night only solidified my belief that I am doing the right thing.  Hands down he won the debate.  He had the room on their feet by the end of his closing statement.  The only candidate that was able to accomplish that.

He also made some fans last night.  Three people who I know went in being Allen supporters and left saying they would vote for EW.  He is very impressive when you hear him speak.  He has the ability to inspire you.  His passion comes through.  Matter of fact, a friend of mine and I went sign blitzing after the debate.  We made sure that voters in Fairfax will be reminded of EW.

Even though I am no fan of Bob Marshall I would have to say he came in second.   He had very good answers to most questions.  He spoke of following the constitution.

I can't really say who finished last between Jaime and George.  George was overly cautious and I heard one person say that he seem "tired".  Not tired today, but in general.  Jaime's answers seemed canned and forced.  She stuck to talking points and you didn't see her, if you know what I mean.  She had a game plan going in and followed it.  I just question if that was the correct game plan.

I will tell you if George Allen doesn't get the nod, it will be national news.  No one is really paying all the much attention to this primary.  They may realize that they are making a mistake.   But I have to say the grassroots is split, so it will more than likely mean it will be Allen.  But I, and many other grassroots activists will be working hard over the next few weeks to show them not to take us for granted.  We have minds of our own and we can be very convincing.  This is race is far from over.

EW Jackson for Senate.  He is good and honest man.  We need more of them in Washington.  Or should I say we need at least one of them there.

RPV Announces Dates for 3 GOP Debates for Open Senate Seat

RPV is pleased to announce the dates for our three U.S. Senate Primary debates.

• Saturday, April 28th at 3pm - Roanoke
• Friday, May 11th at 6:30pm - Hampton Roads
• Friday, May 25th at 6:30pm - Northern Virginia  

Specific locations, formats, and other details will be announced in the weeks ahead. All candidates who qualify for the June 12 Republican primary ballot will be invited to participate. Candidate certification for the June 12 ballot is scheduled to be completed no later than April 3 at 5 p.m. 

Is Senate Candidate Jaime Radtke Just Status Quo?

As some may know this is an election year in Virginia, our entire legislature is up for grabs. The House of Delegates is expected to stay in the hands of the republicans, so many republicans are working very hard to turn our senate red. You may also know that I am doing work for the Tito Munoz, senate candidate in the VA 36. This is a contested seat for the republican nomination. Tito is facing off against former delegate and state GOP chair Jeff Frederick. I don't think that it is any secret that I am hoping that Tito wins the nomination and goes on to beat Toddy Puller in November.


We also will have an open federal senate seat next year as Senator Webb has announced he will not be seeking re-election. The GOP candidates are Senator George Allen who lost his seat to Webb five years ago and Jaime Radtke. Jaime is a former employee of Mr. Allen, so it is going to be an interesting race. But Jaime isn't just a former employee of George Allen, she was also the head of the Virginia Tea Party Association. Virginia was the first state to hold a state Tea Party Convention, it is said to be one of the most organized in the country. Jamie is a big reason that is true. She was very committed and worked for basically nothing to get our commonwealth organized. The Tea Party Convention was a great success and had some very big names that came and spoke, Herman Cain, John Fund, and Dick Morris to name just a few. I attended and enjoyed myself throughly. I have a great deal of respect for what Jaime was able to accomplish.


But, back to the state senate race...........As in most races the candidates receive endorsements. Tito was endorsed by George Allen. Jaime then endorsed Jeff Frederick. There are some things about Jeff Frederick that are quite troubling.


Frederick is a former delegate that has no real record of getting any major piece of legislation through. Frederick is also the former GOP Chair of Virginia. A position he was forced to resign from. Now, the stories vary depending on who you talk to of why he was forced to resign. One side of the story is that the "GOP establishment" in Virginia wanted to get rid of him and forced him out. This establishment includes now Governor Bob McDonnell. McDonnell was the Attorney General at the time and it was already well-known he would be running for Governor the following year. The other side of the story is that Jeff used a company that he had a financial stake in to do work. Another words, he profited from using this company. No formal charges were ever brought, the affair was dropped after he resigned. I can't get into Gov. McDonnell's head so I have no way of knowing if he truly wanted Jeff to leave or not. It wouldn't be unheard of, it could very well be true. The problem is that Jeff not only gave him the guns and the bullets, he put a target on himself and walked 20 paces. Jeff was GOP Chair when John McCain was running for president. Jeff made no secret of the fact that he didn't like McCain all that much. In the September before the campaign while I was out knocking on doors and making phones on a nightly basis, Jeff took a family vacation. His job was to get the base excited. If he felt he couldn't do his job to the best of his ability because he didn't like the candidate he should have resigned then. Not do a half-hearted attempt.


We can also move onto the small business that Mr. Frederick owns. He has been classifying himself under the 8(a) disadvantaged minority status. With this status he has been able to get set aside contracts from the federal government that many small business owners were never allowed to bid on. Frederick has denied using his status to get these contracts, but his website lists the following agencies that he has worked with:


Patent & Trademark Office IPA Blanket Purchase Agreement #45PTO254900


NECO (Navy Electronic Commerce Online) Registered


Department of Commerce COMMITS Contract No. 50-CMAA-9-00042.


GSA: IT Professional Services GSA Contract No. GS-35F-0558P


GSA: PES (Professional Engineering Services) GSA Contract No. GS-23F-0234L


GSA: MOBIS GSA Contract No. GS-10F-0262K


Frederick is the former GOP Chair in Virginia, he is a former state delegate, and he owns a nice home (I was there once for a fundraiser). I don't want to sound insensitive here, but his last name is Frederick, he speaks with no accent, and he looks like a middle-aged white guy. Many people wouldn't know that he was Hispanic by that. How exactly is this man disadvantaged?


All of this information is readily and easily available and it is all true. This isn't a smear campaign towards Mr. Frederick. This is about the principles that Ms. Radtke says she stands for. Mr. Frederick is running as the "anti-establishiment candidate" all the while taking the very establishment like advantages to further enrich himself.


Ms. Radtke says she wants to change the way Washington works. Isn't it a Tea Party principle is get rid of the federal government choosing winners and losers based on minority status? Or am I mistaken? If that is the case, why would she back a candidate such as Mr. Frederick? I contacted the Radtke campaign several times to get a simple answer of why she choose to endorse Mr. Frederick. I never heard back. I guess I am just some lowly blogger, so who cares. But I am also a voter. Not only am I voter, I am a primary voter too.


Again, this post isn't about Jeff Frederick, this post is about Jaime Radtke. Radtke waited until after George Allen came out and endorsed Tito to make any statement about the race. Once he did, she jumped on the Jeff Frederick bandwagon. The question I am left to ask is this just business as usual?

The Retirement Train Picking Up Steam

We have had two more retirements from the senate announced within the last 24 hours.  Jim Webb's announcement came earlier today.  This came as no surprised to me, I looked up his balance from last quarters FEC filing and he had very little money and no fundraising events planned as far as I could tell. 

Webb is tough nut to crack.  His first high profile government job was in the Reagan administration as Sec. of the Navy.  He is also is a decorated military man.  I am not sure exactly what year he became a democrat, but it was later in life.  His announcement states that he wants to return to the private sector, and he has written several books so I am sure we will be seeing another. 

If you are not from Virginia, Webb has not been in the national spotlight all that often.  But you may remember three times that he was.  The most recent being he was one of the last democrats to announce if he would support Obamacare or not.  Which really made me PO'd because he didn't get Virginia anything in return.  I have yet to figure out of that means he is principled or just a cheap date.  The next was that he was on the short list for the VP slot two years ago.  The last being a few years back he was very rude to President Bush.  While that isn't any surprise for a senator to not be happy with a sitting president of another party, but Webb was so classless that he decided to bring this into the White House.  Webb has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, which I believe helped him get elected and to win the nomination for the seat.  One of Webb's sons was stationed in Iraq and President Bush asked after him, and Webb told him it was none of his business. 

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President"

Now, anyone that reads my blog on a regular basis knows that I treat the office of the Presidency of the United States with respect.  I don't care what you feel about the person, but the office should be revered.  Regardless of who is in it.  You don't insult the President to his face inside the White House.  You just don't.  I don't care what party you are from.  As far as I can tell Webb has never held a townhall meeting, so I was never able to ask him personally if he didnt' respect the president should I believe that he respects me.  He was there to represent my interests, so I think it was a fair question.  I called his office about it a few times and never got an answer, or one that I thought was satisfactory anyway.  I was told that was a private conversation.  If I read about it in the newspapers how private could it have been? 

Another issue is the fact that he is no liberal either.  He voted along party lines on the big things, but he didn't exactly make the party faithful happy when he wrote an OP-ED on how affirmative action has long since outlived it usefulness.  Not a popular position within the left.  He also has been pretty outspoken about southern culture, which does include Virginia's history with the confederacy.  Another position that hasn't made the liberal elite very happy.  I don't see that the DNC would be pouring a boatload of money into his race.  They would have made a show of it, but the hearts and the big checkbook wouldn't have been there. 

Another rumor floating around about Webb's decision is the fact that George Allen, who beat 5 years ago, has announced that he will be seeking to get his old job back.  George Allen is another name you may not know immediately, but you have heard of.  George Allen was on everyones list to be a contender for the GOP nomination for president in 08 until he made an unfortunate comment at a senate campaign stop in 06.  He used the word Meccaca, which apparently is some sort of slur; one that I never heard before.  A Webb campaign supporter showed up at all his events and videotaped him saying this, it then went viral.  That was pretty much it for Allen, his campaign never fully recovered and he lost by the narrowest of Margins.

What is one of the interesting points of this is that everyone is making the assumption that Allen is going to get the nomination, and totally overlooking the fact that he has a primary opponent.  A very interesting opponent at that.  Jaime Radtke was the head of The Virginia Tea Party Association, who also worked for the former senator.  Jamie knows his underbelly in a manner of speaking; she worked for him for quite a while.  She also will have the support of good part of The Virginia Tea Party's.  Allen will get some, but certainly not all.  This is going to be an interesting primary to watch folks.  This is truly a test for the establishment and tea party candidates.  The party of course will back Allen.  But it is going to be a fun time in Virginia during the primary season.  I will be supporting Jamie in the Primaries.  I have met her and she is the real deal.  I actually spoke with her last night and told her I would be emailing her some questions to help get her name out there.  Every time I see a post about Allen I remind the author that Jaime is running, she is being all but dismissed, I hope to try and change that.  Overlooking her is a mistake. 

The 2012 Race Begins, At Least in Virginia

There may be those that are not familiar with this story, but for me this is local.  Five years ago the senator from Virginia was running for re-election and during a stump speech he used the word Maccaca about a supporter of his opponent, who happened to have a video camera with him.  The video made national news and sunk his campaign.  Jim Webb became the junior senator of Virginia and George Allen's promising career seemed to be over. 

Senator Allen was also the governor before becoming our senator. He was much beloved in the state of Virginia and was on the short list for a run for the presidency in 08.  Of course that didn't happen, as he was still considered dead in the water.  Today, George Allen announced his candidacy for the senate.  He will be going up against the same opponent, the now senior Senator Jim Webb.  Webb, was once a Reagan republican, who ran as a moderate.  He has supported much of the Obama agenda.  He disagrees with Obamacare, but voted for anyway.  There are rumors that he may not even run for re-election, 

But, even with all this intrigue this isn't the most interesting part of the story.  Senator Allen once had an employee named Jamie Radtke.  Jamie is the founder of the Richmond Tea Party and is one the main organizers of the states Tea Party organization.  Virginia's Tea Party's are very well organized on a state level.  While they are all individual groups, there are mechanisms in place to organize on a state level for different pieces of legislation and to lobby our Governor.  We also had the first state Tea Party Convention.  Jamie was instrumental in getting this organized and it came off without a noticeable hitch, so needless to say she is well respected within the tea party community in the state. 

Jamie worked for Allen during his time as Governor as well as when he was in the senate.  She is also running for the republican nomination for the senate seat.  It is going to be an interesting nomination process. 

Senator Allen is very well respected in conservative circles (there are detractors of course, but he is mainly well liked) and has the huge advantage of being able to get a big megaphone.  He made his "official" announcement on Hannity, this after being interviewed by Virginia resident Mark Levin.